Drinking Cup with Interchangeable Sleeve

ABSTRACT

A drinking cup with interchangeable sleeves for preventing condensation contains a cup, an interchangeable sleeve, and a base portion. The cup is removably attached to the base portion allowing the user to insert or remove the interchangeable sleeve as preferred. 
     A cup interlocking mechanism of the cup and a base interlocking mechanism of the base portion are used to attach the cup to the base portion. The interchangeable sleeve which provides the aesthetically pleasing appearance of the apparatus is pressed against a body portion of the cup. For the interchangeable sleeve to remain stationary for extended time periods, a first end of the interchangeable sleeve is positioned in between a neck portion of the cup and the body portion. Similarly, a second end of the interchangeable sleeve is positioned in between a top end of the base portion and the body portion.

The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patentapplication Ser. No. 62/218,993 filed on Sep. 15, 2015.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a drinking cup. Morespecifically, the present invention is a drinking cup withinterchangeable sleeves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Portable drink containers such as travel cups, thermoses, tumblers, andso on, serve many purposes other than quenching thirst whenever that maybe. Portable drink containers help reduce the carbon footprint of anindividual. People do not have to buy multiple bottled beveragesthroughout the day if they would like to carry around a readilyavailable drink. There is no mistake of throwing bottled beverages intothe trash can instead of the recycling bin. And lastly, there is no orless concern about any carcinogens emitted from the portable drinkcontainer after reuse. Portable drink containers also allow individualsto customize their beverage containers unlike bottled beverages.Portable drink containers typically have a logo, design, a name among avariety of other decorative accents to fulfill the stylistic preferencesof an individual. There are issues that portable drink containers havenot been able to eliminate. Current portable drink containers have notbeen both decorative as they are functional and versatile.

The present invention serves to fulfill the limitations of currentportable drink containers. The present invention comprises a drinkcontainer, a sleeve, and a detachable base. The sleeve surrounds thecup. A top edge and a bottom edge of the sleeve are encapsulated by thecup and the detachable base. The detachability allows the sleeve to beinterchanged. The separable components of the drinking cup allow fortrue customization as the cover and base may be switched for a varietyof other covers and bases that may comprise a variety of otherfunctionalities the preferred embodiment of the present invention doesnot have.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a front view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cup.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the cup.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the cup.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the base portion.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the base portion.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the base portion.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describingselected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limitthe scope of the present invention.

The present invention introduces a drinking cup with an interchangeablesleeve.

More specifically, the present invention introduces a wetsuit coveredtumbler. By utilizing the present invention, the user can maintain asecure grip with the drinking cup. Additionally, issues such ascondensation and sweating are also eliminated by utilizing the presentinvention.

The present invention comprises a cup 1, an interchangeable sleeve 8,and a base portion 12 which are used to address the issues prevalentwith existing drinking cups. The cup 1 is removably attached to the baseportion 12. This allows the interchangeable sleeve 8 to be changedaccording to user preference by detaching the base portion 12 from thecup 1.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1A-5, the cup 1 comprises an opening 2, a bodyportion 5, a base plate 6, and a cup interlocking mechanism 7. Theopening 2 is used to pour liquid into the cup 1 and also to draw liquidout of the cup 1. When considering the positioning, the opening 2 ispositioned along the body portion 5. The body portion 5 provides thestructural body of the cup 1. Depending on the size of the body portion5, the present invention can be available in different sizes. In thepreferred embodiment, the present invention is available in twodifferent sizes. However, in other embodiments of the present inventionthe size of the cup 1 can vary. The base plate 6, which determines thebottom of the cup 1, is adjacently and concentrically connected to thebody portion 5. As an example, if the cup 1 is filled with a certainliquid, the liquid occupies the space from the base plate 6 to theopening 2. In order to do so, the opening 2 is positioned opposite tothe base plate 6. As mentioned earlier, the cup 1 can be attached to ordetached from the base portion 12 according to user preference. The cupinterlocking mechanism 7 is used in the process of attaching anddetaching the cup 1 from the base portion 12. When considering thepositioning, the cup interlocking mechanism 7 is connected to the baseplate 6 opposite to the body portion 5 so that the cup interlockingmechanism 7 does not occupy any space between the opening 2 and the baseplate 6. In order to engage with the cup interlocking mechanism 7, andalso to attach the base portion 12 to the cup 1, the base portion 12comprises a base interlocking mechanism 13. The base portion 12 isappropriately shaped to fit the circular shape of the cup 1. Morespecifically, the cup interlocking mechanism 7 is removably attached tothe base interlocking mechanism 13 allowing the user to attach orseparate the cup 1 from the base portion 12. The cup interlockingmechanism 7 and the base interlocking mechanism 13 can vary in differentembodiments of the present invention. In the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, the cup interlocking mechanism 7 is a first threadedportion 17. On the other hand, the base interlocking mechanism 13 is asecond threaded portion 18. Therefore, when the cup 1 is attached to thebase portion 12, the first threaded portion 17 is engaged to the secondthreaded portion 18. When the interchangeable sleeve 8 is being used,the body portion 5 is removably positioned concentrically within theinterchangeable sleeve 8. The interchangeable sleeve 8 is sufficientlysized so that the body portion 5 can be conveniently inserted into theinterchangeable sleeve 8.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the cup 1 further comprises a rim 3 and aneck portion 4. The opening 2 perpendicularly traverses through the neckportion 4 and into the body portion 5. The neck portion 4 is used tohold the interchangeable sleeve 8 in position when used on the bodyportion 5. In order to do so, the neck portion 4 is concentricallyconnected to the body portion 5 and opposite to the base plate 6. Therim 3, which is the topmost edge of the cup 1, delineates the opening 2.When considering the positioning, the rim 3 is positioned perimetricallyalong the neck portion 4 and opposite the body portion 5. Therefore, theopening 2 perpendicularly traverses through the neck portion 4 and intothe body portion 5 so that the opening 2 is accessible regardless of thepositioning of the rim 3 and the neck portion 4. In order to effectivelyhold the interchangeable sleeve 8 stationary, the neck portion 4 isradially offset from the body portion 5 so that a gap is created betweenthe body portion 5 and the neck portion 4. Resultantly, theinterchangeable sleeve 8 can fit into the gap so that theinterchangeable sleeve 8 is secured in place.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, theinterchangeable sleeve 8 comprises a sleeve body 10, a first end 9, asecond end 11, an inner grip layer 19, and an outer aesthetic layer 20.In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, theinterchangeable sleeve 8 is made of neoprene. However, other comparablematerial can be used to produce the interchangeable sleeve 8 indifferent embodiments of the present invention. Moreover, theinterchangeable sleeve 8 is washable and dryable. The sleeve body 10extends from the first end 9 to the second end 11. The length and shapeof the sleeve body 10 varies according to the length and shape of thebody portion 5. The thickness of the sleeve body 10 can vary accordingto need. As an example, if the sleeve body 10 is considerably thick, theheat transferred from the drink to the hand of the user is less thanwhen a considerably thin sleeve body 10 is being used on the bodyportion 5. When the sleeve body 10 is positioned around the body portion5, the first end 9 is positioned in between the body portion 5 and theneck portion 4. On the other hand, the second end 11 is positioned inbetween the body portion 5 and a top end 14 of the base portion 12. FIG.1B shows the positioning of the first end 9 and the second end 11. Thebase portion 12 is appropriately sized to fit the second end 11 inbetween the top end 14 and the body portion 5. The positioning of thefirst end 9 and the second end 11 ensures that the sleeve body 10 isstationary around the body portion 5. In the resulting position, theinner grip layer 19 encircles the body portion 5. In other words, theinner grip layer 19 is pressed against the body portion 5. Therefore,the outer aesthetic layer 20 which encircles the inner grip layer 19 isvisible on the exterior giving the present invention an aestheticallypleasing appearance. In order to have different appearances, the outeraesthetic layer 20 is available in multiple printed designs.

As shown in FIGS. 6-8, in the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the base portion 12 comprises a bottom end 15 and a cavity 16in addition to the top end 14 mentioned previously. The cavity 16 isused to position the base interlocking mechanism 13. In order to do so,the cavity 16 is sufficiently sized and traverses from the top end 14towards the bottom end 15 allowing the base interlocking mechanism 13 tobe centrally positioned within the cavity 16. The central positioning ofthe base interlocking mechanism 13 ensures that the base portion 12 isconcentrically aligned with the cup 1 when attached via the cupinterlocking mechanism 7.

In the process of utilizing the present invention, the following processflow is generally followed. Initially, the interchangeable sleeve 8 ispositioned around the body portion 5 such that the first end 9 ispositioned between the neck portion 4 and the body portion 5. Next, thebase portion 12 is attached to the cup 1 via the cup interlockingmechanism 7 and the base interlocking mechanism 13. In doing so, thesecond end 11 is positioned in between the top end 14 and the bodyportion 5. As a result, the interchangeable sleeve 8 remains stationary.If the user wishes to switch the interchangeable sleeve 8, the baseportion 12 is detached and the interchangeable sleeve 8 is removed.Subsequently, a preferred interchangeable sleeve 8 is positioned aroundthe body portion 5 and the base portion 12 is reattached to the cup 1 aspreviously mentioned.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferredembodiment, it is to be understood that many other possiblemodifications and variations can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A drinking cup with an interchangeable sleevecomprises: a cup; an interchangeable sleeve; a base portion; the cupcomprises an opening, a body portion, a base plate, and a cupinterlocking mechanism; the base portion comprises a base interlockingmechanism; the base plate being adjacently and concentrically connectedto the body portion; the opening being positioned opposite the baseplate along the body portion; the body portion being removablypositioned concentrically within the interchangeable sleeve; the cupinterlocking mechanism being connected to the base plate opposite to thebody portion; and the cup interlocking mechanism being removablyattached to the base interlocking mechanism.
 2. The drinking cup with aninterchangeable sleeve as claimed in claim 1 further comprises: the cupfurther comprises a rim and a neck portion; the neck portion beingconcentrically connected to the body portion opposite the base plate;the rim being positioned perimetrically along the neck portion oppositethe body portion; the opening being delineated by the rim; the openingperpendicularly traversing through the neck portion and into the bodyportion; and the neck portion being radially offset from the bodyportion.
 3. The drinking cup with an interchangeable sleeve as claimedin claim 1 further comprises: the interchangeable sleeve furthercomprises a sleeve body, a first end, a second end, an inner grip layer,and an outer aesthetic layer; the sleeve body extending from the firstend to the second end; the inner grip layer encircling the body portion;and the outer aesthetic layer encircling the inner grip layer.
 4. Thedrinking cup with an interchangeable sleeve as claimed in claim 3further comprises: the first end being positioned between the bodyportion and a neck portion of the cup; and the second end beingpositioned between the body portion and a top end of the base portion.5. The drinking cup with an interchangeable sleeve as claimed in claim 1further comprises: the base portion further comprises a top end, abottom end, and a cavity; the cavity traversing from the top end towardsthe bottom end; and the base interlocking mechanism being centrallypositioned within the cavity.
 6. The drinking cup with aninterchangeable sleeve as claimed in claim 1 further comprises: the cupinterlocking mechanism being a first threaded portion; the baseinterlocking mechanism being a second threaded portion; and the firstthreaded portion being engaged to the second threaded portion.